Destination of Choice
by Guiney-vere
Summary: It's senior year and Rory is ready to go...one thing though: Tristan's back, and Rory just dumped Dean. R/R and enjoy! R/T/J
1. Prologue

Destination of Choice

By Guinevere

Summary: This is a Rory-Tristan, as of now, but it may change later…depends on what I decide to do with Jess. 

Author's Note: This is my first Gilmore fic…I've always written Dawson's Creek, so let me know how I've done so far. Please read and respond - tell me if you really like it or not!!

Spoilers: Anything and everything.

Disclaimer: I don't anyone or anything except where I do. 

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~ Prologue ~

Rory Gilmore lumbered off the bus, adjusted the blue scarf under her collar and slung her backpack on her shoulder, all while reading the last paragraph of the last book on her ten book summer reading list. This was the first day of her senior year - she should be ecstatic that by this time next year she would be, God willing, standing amongst beatniks and geniuses in Harvard Yard. But that was the furthest thing from her mind. Frankly, if this was a sign of how the rest of the year would be, senior year was going to kick her ass.

First, she had spent six weeks with Paris in Washington, D.C. Sure, being able to step out of the dorm and jog to the Lincoln Memorial or the Smithsonian - her favorite was the Franklin Roosevelt - had been great, but Paris, well, hadn't. Rory listened to her night and day, blabbing on and on about her plans as Class President, when all she really wanted to do was get lost in the city. By their last day in D.C., Rory had heard the words "Chilton" and "my school now" come from Paris' mouth exactly 1,376 times. She knew because she started counting after the third time.

After her slow death by Paris-torture, Rory returned to Stars Hollow only to find one boyfriend and one, well, not boyfriend, waiting at opposite sides of the bus terminal scowling at each other. Only Dean had actually come to meet _her_; Jess claimed to have been sent by her mother who was "stuck at a wedding at the inn." At least that meant her mother was on speaking terms with the town insurgent. Needless to say, Rory went home with Dean to avoid any turmoil.

A week later, and exactly five weeks before her first day of school, Rory found a letter from Chilton stuffed into a pile of ads and magazines in the closet. It was the reading list, which she had to complete in the next five weeks. Ten books would have been a cinch, but ten books and a fifty-page journal of response for each was stretching it. So not only had her first half of the summer been Paris-infested, but the second half would be full of reading and writing and dealing with the two boys in her life.

Rory didn't bring up the kiss to Jess; in fact, she pretended it never happened, which didn't seem to bother Jess any - he was satisfied with the way things were, just as long as she was - direct quote. And she never told Dean, so she carried the immense burden of harboring a secret from one boy and her feelings from another with her like she would her backpack - heavy and hard to balance, but necessary nonetheless.

Until it all came to a head on August 21, at 2:41 pm to be precise. Rory was in the middle of town, sitting in the gazebo reading Siddhartha, only number three on the list, for the second time when the figurative lightning struck. She didn't have to deal with all the stress of two guys, seven more books, class vice-president, and getting in to Harvard. No, something had to give, and since one of these things was not like the others, in a sense, she had to rid herself of that one for the time being. She spent the next two days devising a plan, only to throw it out when Dean arrived on her front porch.

She told him that she had too much going on without having to worry about him getting jealous if she so much as glanced in Jess's general direction. She reminded Dean of their good times, and how much she loved him, but that it wouldn't be fair to expect him to be around when she came up for air. And that was that. All she had to do was make it clear to Jess that her new found singledom was not an open invitation for him to step in and fill the void. She told him the Beverly Hills, 90210 version of the truth, that she needed space and had chosen herself.

After a huge sigh of relief, Rory shoved her nose farther into a stack of books than she had ever thought possible. In one week she finished her list and all of her assignments, with the exception of the last, which she was just finishing up on the ride to school. And now she was done and ready to attack senior year with all the force she had in her.

Rory could tell she was on Chilton territory as soon as she stepped in. Plaid skirts and charcoal pants were running to and fro, hugging and yelling for their friends as though they had been lost at sea. Teachers stood in that all-too-familiar way, one arm across their chest holding the other firmly under the chin, and grimacing as various forms of PDA were exhibited. There was Mr. Medina, deep in conversation with Mr. Hewson; Rory waved as he glanced up. At least Paris hadn't spotted Rory on her radar yet - she didn't even see the blond one with her two shadows. Kids from her old classes waved and hollered hello, and Rory courteously replied, all while making a beeline for her locker section. 

As she eyed her locker, not fifteen yards away, Rory noticed a pair of gray flannels attached to prep-school-staple loafers right next to her destination. The face and large amount of upper body was hidden by the open locker, but light brown hair stuck out above the door. Deciding the best course of action was none at all, Rory started turning the knob to open her locker. And then the one next to her slammed, causing her to jump at the force. 

"Mary," the coy voice exclaimed, and Rory dreaded looking in its direction.

"Tristan." She stated simply. This was all she needed. Senior year was going to hit her like a mack truck. 


	2. Jake Barnes vs. Nick Carraway

Destination of Choice

By Guinevere

Author's Note: This one's a little short, but r/r anyway! I still can't decide what to do: Tristan or Jess? See if you're clever enough to figure out the title…get it yet?…

Disclaimer: Not mine, yours?

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~ 1 ~

~ Jake Barnes vs. Nick Carraway ~

"When…? How…? What are you doing here Tristan? And what's with the hair?" Rory asked, stumbling over her words.

"You like it? New hair for a new start, or so my mother says. It's good to see you too, by the way. Love the welcoming committee - they went all out this time," he sighed and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I'm not going to pretend that I'm not the least bit surprised by your sudden reappearance. What gives? Did they let you out of military school for good behavior, or did you buy your way out?" Rory cocked her head and grinned knowingly up at Tristan.

"You know me too well; a little of both actually. But that's another story for another time. How about you show me where Mr. Medina's Advanced Placement English class is, seeing as how I'm the new student and all."

"Ugh, go away Tristan."

"That's no way to treat the new kid, now is it Ms. Gilmore? Now, how about the tour? We still have ten minutes before class starts." 

"I'm busy." Rory started down the hall.

Tristan reached for Rory's arm, slammed her locker and pulled her with him into a less crowded hall. He bent down so his nose was inches from hers and whispered, "Just tell me that you didn't say anything about last year, before I left. I have a reputation to uphold you know."

"Dearest Tristan," Rory began. She glanced at his forehead and noticed one of his trademark spikes bowing down. She just couldn't resist pushing it back into place. "I never uttered a word because not only would it prove you had an actual heart, but it would mean that I had cracked under pressure."

"I'm not saying I have a heart or anything, but you almost cracked. I bet if I had kissed you, instead of worrying about what the hell Dean would think, you would have liked it."

"What is the matter with you? How many ways can a girl say "not interested" before you get the message?"

"As many as she likes, but I'll never "get" the message until she actually means it." With that he turned and walked back down the hall, leaving Rory a little stunned.

She brushed off her encounter and turned the corner to go to class. How could Tristan, definitely not one of her Stars Hollow boys, get to her so much. Sure, she had kind of fallen for him during her break from Dean, but it all went away the second they got back together. And the Romeo and Juliet thing wasn't really even a "thing", just a heartfelt goodbye.

But what if she had a problem with suppressing her feelings? She hadn't told Dean that she loved him, then she hid from Tristan, and then came Jess. She kissed him, then forced herself to forget it. Maybe that had been the problem all along, but she didn't have time to mull over it now. 

Mr. Medina's class was about to start as Rory took her seat in the front row by the window. She took out a pen and notebook and hunched over to scrawl "English" on the cover. Something pinged off her shoulder as she sat up. A wad of paper fell to the floor and she reached down pick it up, glancing in its general direction of origin. Tristan.

She unfolded the note and smoothed it out inside her notebook as Mr. Medina began his first day of school spiel. _Rory, meet me in the quad at lunch. Important! - T D _ Rory half-turned and caught a glimpse of Tristan, pretending nothing had happened and nodding appreciatively at Mr. Medina. What nerve!

~ * ~

English had passed quickly, so had Physics and Calculus, and before Rory knew it, she was rising from her desk and dreading lunch, her normally-free-from-stress time. She trudged to her locker, put her books away and let the crowd carry her to the quad. She pushed open the door to reveal a large portion of the school standing around or sitting on the grass. Tristan had chosen a tree to lean against at the far corner. He spotted her at once and flashed a grin her way. She ignored it and walked slowly until there was nowhere else to go but directly to Tristan.

"Ah, Rory, light of my life," Tristan said, looking toward the sky as if for inspiration.

"Spare me. What do you want?"

"I want to know if you're busy Friday," he hunched over and started rifling through his backpack.

"Why?"

"Well, we never did go to PJ Harvey, and I was wondering if the lady might accompany me to the U2 concert?"

"Tristan, why do you even keep trying? And why do you make it so hard for me to say no?"

"Is that a yes then?" He looked slightly more than thrilled.

"No, I'm not going to go out with you. I'm not going to subject myself to your wiles just so you can come back here on Monday and live it up on my account. I won't be your conquest," she should have stalked away then, but she had to give him the chance to retaliate.

"You wound me Rory. Is that all you think of me?"

"You don't allow for many other interpretations, now do you?" Rory challenged him with her eyes.

"Well, I guess that's a no," he said, avoiding her question. "I'll see you in History then." He slung his backpack over his shoulder and headed back across the quad.

All Rory wanted to do was crawl in a hole with a book and go to sleep. She didn't want to deal with Tristan, and she would have to now. He was back, and she had just invited herself to be a part of his life by asking so many questions. Now she had to get to the bottom of this, to the bottom of _him._

~ * ~

Rory had narrowly avoided another confrontation with Tristan in her Modern European History class, and had to suffer through a Paris encounter for half an hour after school, but she was finally almost home, her bus pulling into her stop. She climbed off and headed straight for Luke's, hoping her mother would be there. Thank God for one thing happening this summer: Luke and Lorelai had patched things up, so there was no more dodging Luke's.

Rory pushed the door open, glanced around and didn't see her mom, so she headed for Jess who was parked in a seat at the counter. "Hey Jess," she sighed as she slumped down onto a stool.

"Rory, hey, how's it going?" He glanced up from his book, then continued reading.

Rory reached over and lifted up the cover, searching for a title. "Hemingway?"

Jess nodded in affirmation, "The Sun Also Rises. A classic tale of life and love."

"I know, I've read it three times. I'm a big fan of Brett Ashley."

"Why?" Jess asked incredulously, his full attention now on Rory.

"Why not?" Rory retorted, already loving the debate she knew she had began.

"She's a self-centered bitch who has no regard for anyone's feelings but her own."

"Oh, and Jake does? He loves the woman, but he refuses to let himself show her."

"And she can't live without the sex, even though she loves him!"

"She's got guts, that's all I'm saying," Rory conceded, taking a sip of the coffee that had appeared sometime during their dispute.

"You are really something else Rory. I suppose you're a fan of that bitch in Great Gatsby as well, hmm?"

"You mean Daisy Buchanan? She has reason enough to act the way she does. She's trapped in a loveless marriage and can't be with Nick. Or don't you understand the love thing going on there?"

"She's a snob is all I'm saying," and Jess returned to his book, leaving Rory to ponder: why so many confrontations in one day? If every day was going to be this bad, and all before 5 o'clock, she might as well swear off all human contact. And fast. 

~ * ~

A/N: Jake's sort of like Jess and Nick's sort of like Tristan. Get it?


	3. Wasting Time

Destination of Choice

By Guinevere

Author's Note: In this chapter, I'm definitely very Jess-friendly, but who knows what will happen next.

Disclaimer: Mine? What are you talking about?

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~ 2 ~

~ Wasting Time ~

"Rory!" Lorelai yelled, shaking her daughter out of sleep. "It's time to get up! You'll be late for school if you don't hurry."

Rory groaned and rolled over, hugging her pillow for the last bits of peace. Her first week of school had so far been a bust - Tristan and Paris were stalking her, Jess was ignoring her, and Lane was nowhere to be found. And Dean, well Dean would pick a spot just over her left shoulder to focus on whenever she spoke to him. The no human contact idea was becoming increasingly appealing.

Rory shuffled out of bed and to the bathroom, then kicked into high-gear, readying herself in less than five minutes. Her mother was still running back and forth through the kitchen when Rory got to the front door. "Mom, are you ready yet?"

"You cannot be my child. Five minutes? No way, you aren't mine. Go, shoo, run away from here. You're an embarrassment to the female species."

"What are you babbling on for? Just come mother, or we'll both be late, and you'll have to do without coffee."

"What?!? Let's go, I'm ready."

"Good." Rory climbed in the Jeep and fastened her seatbelt while her mother checked herself one last time in the rearview mirror. "I'm sure Stars Hollow has seen you look worse Mom."

"Yeah, probably. So, you have any plans for tonight? Big date?"

"Nadda. But Tristan did ask me to the U2 concert."

"And you're not going? I'd go, even if I had to deal with that womanizing jerk, just to get a glimpse of The Edge up close."

"You know I'm more partial to Larry, and I can see him better on tv than I ever would at a concert. Anyway, I'm not going to give in to him."

"Even for such a worthy cause as U2? You really aren't my daughter."

"You don't know Tristan. Just imagine Austin Powers in a Chilton uniform and with better hair. He just never leaves me alone."

"That's 'cause he likes you, Einstein."

"That's what Dean said when he first met him, and I'm still not entirely convinced. He just wants to tell the whole school that I went out with him. I am his ultimate conquest or something." Rory shook her head at the thought.

"I don't think so Ror, but whatever makes you feel good. Look, we're here."

Rory climbed out and followed her mother, who chose her usual table by the window. She was anxious about seeing Jess, especially if he was going to snub her. She spotted him behind the counter and raised her arm to wave when he looked up.

"Rory," he exclaimed, all but jumping over the counter to get to her table. "Good to see you," he said, calming himself when he reached her side.

"We'll have pancakes and coffee Jess," Lorelai said, too engrossed in the _Allure_ magazine she had pulled from her purse.

"Good to see you too, Jess. What brings you to my neck of the diner?"

"Nothing much, just wondering what you were up to tonight."

"Nothing yet. Probably just movies at the Gilmore's."

"Feel up for a drive - " Jess stopped, cut off by Lorelai.

"Not if you're driving, mister," she said, not looking up from her magazine.

"Of course not," he said, then turned back to Rory. "Anyway, I wanted to know if you were into U2, because they're in Hartford tonight, and I'm not such a big fan, too mellow, but I wouldn't mind going, and I've already got the tickets, Luke got them from someone, and I am kind of into their radical-IRA-peace-in-the-middle-east thing, so I was wondering if you wanted to go." Jess breathed, then looked at Rory expectantly.

Rory pondered, then thought, why not? She and Jess were friends, something she and Tristan definitely were not. With Jess she would have fun; with Tristan she would be paranoid about the location of his hands at every moment. "Sure, I'd love to."

Lorelai almost spit out the coffee Luke had discreetly garnished. Jess raised an eyebrow, then returned to the counter. "Meet you here at 6:30?"

"Yeah, okay," Rory looked at her mother questioningly, then dove into her pancakes.

"What was that about?" Lorelai whispered when she was sure Jess was out of earshot.

"Whatever do you mean?" Rory asked with a grin.

"You'll go with Jess, but not with Tristan?"

"Well, yeah, at least with Jess I'm not worried about the hand thing."

"Honey, if I were you, I'd be more worried with Jess."

"What? Why?"

"Well, for one thing, I can _see_ that Jess has it bad, whereas I can only theorize about Tristan. And another thing, it's Friday, or did you forget?"

"Can't you make up a story, like Aretha Franklin dropped by to go over her new album?"

"Are you suggesting that I lie to your grandparents?"

"No, just a little fib. You could just tell the truth though."

"And the truth would be…?"

"That I went to the U2 concert… with Tristan."

"That's still a lie."

"Yeah, but he _will_ be there, and besides, they like him. I haven't yet gotten the verdict on Jess, but if they are anything like you, I'm guessing they'll hate him."

"Hon, I don't hate him, I'm just not too keen on his vagrant-like behavior."

"In other words, you don't like him."

"Hey, as long as he's not driving the car, or committing a felony, he's okay by me."

"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence. I've got to go now. See you later?"

"I'll be around."

"Bye Mom. Jess, see you later."

"Later Rory," Jess called with a wave and a nod.

Rory climbed onto the waiting bus and chose a window seat in the middle, digging a book out from the depths of her backpack and settling in for the half-hour ride. She was giddy with anticipation, mostly because of the U2 concert, but more than slightly because of hanging out with Jess.

~ * ~

"Rory, hey, wait up!" Tristan called after her as she exited the Physics lab. She paused outside the door, then continued walking when Tristan was beside her. "You going tonight? The offer still stands."

"Sorry, but I got a far more appealing offer, but I am still going."

"Oh really? With who? The boyfriend?"

"Whom? And no, not the boyfriend. A friend tough." She couldn't quite bring herself to giving Tristan the satisfaction of knowing that she and Dean had broken up.

"Then I'll see you and your "friend" there. Third row center - look me up."

"I'll try to remember that," Rory said without looking up. She headed straight for her locker, leaving Tristan in her dust. She picked and chose carefully what she would need for the weekend, then bee-lined for the door, hoping to avoid Paris's line of sight. She must have caught her in the peripheral though, because she was gaining on Rory fast.

"Rory," Paris began as she caught up. "We have some planning to do. The first Student Council meeting is next Wednesday and we have to run it. Are you busy tonight?"

"Yes, actually."

"Okay, then how about tomorrow? I'll even come to Stars Hollow to meet you."

"I guess that's okay," Rory answered with a hint of regret. Another day wasted because of Paris. Sure, she felt bad for the girl, whose only friends were Madeleine and Louise, but she was beginning to feel like she and Paris were attached at the hip.

"Good, I'll be there at 9 sharp, so don't plan on sleeping in. See you then," Paris chirped, then went off in another direction.

Now her night would be ruined too, because she would have to be home early in order to get up early. "Thanks a lot Paris," she murmured as she sat on the bench at the bus stop. A truck pulled up next to her and the window opened. 'Oh great,' Rory thought, 'like I need to be accosted by some filthy repairman.'

"Hey little lady," the voice drawled, and Rory looked up with relief. "Need a ride?"

"Hey Jess, you scared me for a minute there."

"That was the intention. So, you coming?"

Rory got up and leaned on the window frame. "That depends on where we're going."

"Oh, I don't know. Just to kill some time before the concert?"

"You think I'm going in a kilt and a blazer?"

"You gallivanted around New York in it, and you've got the whole Irish thing going on. Why not?"

"Scottish, and New York was circumstantial."

"Whatever you say. Got any money?"

Rory glared, then searched her backpack for the credit card her mother had given her "for emergencies." "Yeah," she held up the shimmering silver plastic.

"Then get in. We'll go get you something to wear. I've heard girls like to do things like that."

"Not me. I like to be comfortable."

"Well, we could just drive all the way back to Stars Hollow…"

"No." Rory climbed in a fastened her seat belt. "Drive man, just drive."

~ * ~

Half an hour later Jess and Rory were browsing through the 'Classics' section at Barnes & Noble to waste some time. Rory had stopped at a Gap - her mother would hate her for sure if she knew - and bought a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, then decided her saddle shoes weren't quite appropriate, and bought some sneakers at the athletic store next door. Then they wound up at - surprise, surprise - the bookstore. 

"Have you read this?" Jess asked, shoving On the Beach under her nose.

Rory methodically scanned her memory, came up empty, and took the book from Jess to read the back. "Hmm, how did I miss it?"

"It's a public school read, tenth grade I think," Jess offered. 

"That's how. Is it any good?"

"A little prophetic, but a good read. Don't buy it though, I've got a copy at home, notes in the margins and all." Rory nodded and Jess returned to perusing the shelves. Minutes later he had another book in his hand. "How about this?"

"Pilgrim at Tinker Creek? I hated it. Annie Dillard is a great descriptionist - is that a word? - but there wasn't really a plot."

"Exactly my thinking."

"You read Black Like Me?"

"In the sixth grade, while everyone else happily enjoyed Avi. I liked it, but it was a little to newspaper-article for me."

"And now, Jess Mariano, the question we've all been dying for an answer to, have you read Emma?"

"Of course I have. Did I like it? Compared to the Gwyneth movie, I loved it."

"Of course it was. All the guys like the movie better though. I think it has something to do with the blond girl."

"Too skinny for me."

Rory stole a glance at Jess who was absorbed in another book cover. Who knew a seventeen-year-old guy who wore old, obscure metal band t-shirts could be so ingenious? No need to worship the brilliant thirty-five year old prep school teacher with him around. Jess was probably her favorite person in the world at the moment. If only he weren't so damn secretive.

"Hey Jess," Rory began. She was going to try her luck at unlocking some of the mystery. 

"Yo." He spouted, not looking up.

"Whoa, bad eight-grade flashback. Anyway, why did you really come to Stars Hollow?"

"Why? Want me to leave?"

"No, never. I was just wondering."

"Well, I'd rather not say, if that's okay."

"You're entitled," Rory decided to save the conversation for another time. Now it was getting close to six, and the concert started at eight. They needed to eat and hurry over to the arena if they were going to get a parking spot.

"I think we better get going," Jess voiced her thoughts, replacing the book on the shelf as Rory grinned, a little suspicious of him.

"'Ey Jess?"

"Yes Ror?"

"Are you psychic?"

"Not that I know of, why?"

"Just wondering." She looked over at him, tousled hair, old t-shirt and a faint grin, like he knew more about life than he let on. She felt a twinge of something, then realized it was approbation of him. Rory actually admired Jess. She definitely had to find out more about this person who had invaded her town, her life, and recently, her every thought.

~ * ~


End file.
